Tombstone Courage (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

J.A. Jance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1995

The desert is a good place to bury a body. And under the sun-parched Arizona landscape some chilling secrets are about to unfold as newly elected Sheriff Joanna Brady investigates a most peculiar double homicide. A body, barely cold, is lying in an abandoned mine shaft. Next to it are the decayed remains of a man everyone in Cochise County has long forgotten - a murder victim who died long before Joanna Brady was born. And the only thing that hasn't evaporated in the Arizona sun are whispered and life-shattering rumors of appalling childhood abuse. As the desert gives up its grisly secrets, Joanna Brady battles to redeem the savaged reputation of one of her personal heroes. Her day-to-day struggle lends new meaning to the term working mother. The incoming sheriff faces an intensely hostile male-dominated police department. She fends off the attentions of her well-meaning mother even as she strives to handle her own difficult and suddenly temperamental daughter. Despite a placid, small-town surface, greed and manipulation are working overtime among Cochise County's movers and shakers. And Joanna earns her newly won badge when she uncovers a suspected killer who has lurked there undetected for two generations. Along with the dismayed, tongue-wagging citizens of Bisbee, Arizona, the reader is seduced into the web of passions and secrets Jance so ably weaves. Fast-paced and shocking, Tombstone Courage is a multilayered mystery that delves into the heart of the New West with a foundation firmly grounded in its storied, gunslinging past.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Newly elected sheriff of an Arizona town, sleuth Joanna Brady must solve the murder of a local cattle rancher while dealing with prejudice in a male-dominated police force.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?When Joanna Brady's husband, a leading candidate for sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, is gunned down by Colombian drug dealers, she decides to run for the office herself. The story of her election, her relationship with her nine-year-old daughter, and two murders (one decades old and one recent) form the basis of this cracker-jack mystery. The book has a strong female protagonist and explores issues such as child abuse and hidden memories. Will Joanna win the post and the respect of her fellow (male) police officers? Will she be able to reassure her frightened daughter? And will she solve the murders? All these questions are answered in Jance's thoroughly satisfying novel.?Susan B. McFaden, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Avon (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380765462
• ISBN-13: 978-0380765461
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J.A. Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Edge of Evil, the first in a series featuring Ali Reynolds. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second book of the Joanna Brady series, July 31, 2000

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tombstone Courage (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Joanna Brady is elected sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona after the death of her husband, who had been a candidate for this position. It seems like a mixed blessing, however, when she is greeted by a double homocide followed by the resignations of two of the top men in the department. Some of her employees have a hard time accepting a woman, who is untrained in law enforcement, as their new boss. Added to this, Joanna has to constantly reassure her daughter, who has already lost a parent, that she will be careful in her new job. This book moves a little slowly at times, but the action definitely picks up at the end, and it is a good read.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really liked it!, February 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tombstone Courage (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a must read after Desert Heat. It is able to stand on its own. Again, J.A. Jance is able to make it seem as if anyone could have committed the murder -- keeping the secret to the very end.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Series, Great Story, December 14, 2002

By 

apoem "apoem" (Bosque Farms, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tombstone Courage (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This series has been fantastic. Although each novel can stand on it's own, I have found that reading them in order is a better idea. Later books reference earlier books and it is easier to follow the overall history of the characters in this series.

Having said that, this is a great book. Joanna has just been elected Sherrif when a grisly murder is discovered. A drugged up ex movie star, a wierd therapist, an old family fued of sorts and the stage is set for a great novel.

Joanna is a strong woman and this is a good book. It's good to read about her efforts to mourn with her daughter the loss of her husband. As she comes to grip with the past, she learns to deal with the present. Joanna's mother is an interesting character that adds a lot to this series.

Enjoy.